Akal Takht declares ‘tankhaiya’ Sikh members of SAD, Congress, AAP

The Akal Takht today announced 'tankha' (religious punishment) on as many as 39 politicians, including those from SAD, Congress and AAP, for visiting Dera Sacha Sauda prior to Punjab Assembly polls ignoring its call for boycott of the sect.

Akal Takht head Gurbachan Singh issued an edict to 39 representatives of various political parties holding them ‘tankhaiya’ (guilty of religious misconduct) asking them to perform ‘sewa’ (service) in the Sikh shrines. (Reuters)

The Akal Takht today announced ‘tankha’ (religious punishment) on as many as 39 politicians, including those from SAD, Congress and AAP, for visiting Dera Sacha Sauda prior to Punjab Assembly polls ignoring its call for boycott of the sect. Akal Takht head Gurbachan Singh issued an edict to 39 representatives of various political parties holding them ‘tankhaiya’ (guilty of religious misconduct) asking them to perform ‘sewa’ (service) in the Sikh shrines.

On April 4, The top temporal seat of Sikhs had asked the representatives of political parties to appear before it with regard to their visit to Dera Sacha Sauda at Sirsa prior to the assembly election in Punjab to seek votes.
All Sikh activists were asked to submit their clarification about the motive behind their visit to Dera Sacha Sauda sect inspite of the facts Akal Takht had announced boycott of Sect.

Singh said during the election campaign the members of political outfits had gone to the headquarter of Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh headed sect “to seek support and blessings” which was “against the Sikh ethics and customs”. He said the head of the sect was held guilty by Akal Takht for various blasphemous acts which had hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community by and large across the globe.

Members (particularly Sikhs) of various political parties including Congress, SAD and AAP who were asked to appear before the Akal Takht, since being a Sikh no one could visit sect headquarter especially when the community was asked by it to boycott the tainted sect, Singh said.

Singh said those given the punishment will have to clean the road outside the Golden Temple which goes from Gurdwara Sargari to Ghanta Ghar Golden Temple for a day. The second day they will have to wash the marbled periphery of the temple. The next day they will dust the shoes of visiting devotees, the fourth day cook food in the community kitchen of the Golden Temple, while on the fifth day they will have to listen to religious hymns in the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine.

Post this they will have to offer Rs 5,100 each in the Gurdwara besides Karah Parshad amounting Rs 501, he said. The politicians who remained absent today included Janmeja Singh Shekon, Arjan Singh who is son Punjab finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Ajaib Singh Bhatti, and former Punjab CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal.